Extract - It might sound obvious, but in a recent survey carried out by tootle.co.uk, 28 per cent of 1,000 UK adult respondents claimed they didn’t know a car would be worth less if it was sold without a service history.

And stamps in the service book are not enough, Mike says. 'Any potential buyer will want to see full details on the service history - and if you don’t have them, it puts the buyer in a great position to knock you down on price.

'Without proof of the service, the vehicle will be considered to only have a partial service history - it's best to get the service book stamped by the dealer/mechanic but also keep the invoice for the works to show which items have been inspected at each service.'